My wife is tentatively getting into gravel and we've had some nice days out over the last couple of years. However, she has no interest in anything technical and her limit is about 1500ft of ascent over 30 miles. She would have a benny if there were any hike a bike or bog trotting. I'm starting to run out of ideas for where to take her.
Some favourites have been the banks of Loch Katrine, the eastern end of the John Muir Way, some of the estate roads around Linn of Dee, riding to Blackness Castle from Edinburgh and that sort of thing. We don't like riding in commercial forest and so haven't particularly enjoyed the Tweed Valley and I've been avoiding Aberfoyle. Googling "easy gravel ride Scotland" throws up either things that are only 6 miles long or heinously difficult and include too much technical stuff.
Anyone got any tips for good rides within an hour and a half's drive or a short train journey from Edinburgh?
I guess it's the case that many of the better gravel tracks exist because of either commercial forestry or windfarms and the latter might be unappealing and/or involve too much climbing, but have a look at Whitelee?
Glen Tilt as an option - possibly as far as the falls of Tarf.
Have you checked out Rusty Rides Gravel on YouTube? It may be at the limit of what you want to do at 45km and 650m of climbing but I've been looking to do the Herring road loop between the watch reservoir and Lauder. My parents live in Lauder so I can kill two birds in one bike ride. The loop doesn't go as far as Lauder but it's not too far extra to tag on and would give you some food and drink options either halfway or at the start/end. I could probably show you a Midlothian gravel ride but I've not been gravelling long and my idea of non technical might not be the same as your wifes.
A circumnavigation of Loch Leven is most agreeable. It's about 13.5 miles.
Loch Katrine loop?
The cycle path from Callander to Killin (or a point 15 miles along it) would be a winner. Great surface, traffic free, mixed scenery, plenty of nice stops for food and drink (Mhor 84 a personal favourite, and Mhor Bread back in Callander).
Scenic detours could include Rob Roy's grave, the Glen Ogle viaduct (not a detour as the path passes over it!) maybe even a wee detour into the Trossachs.
Only drawback is that it's more or less out-and-back
Whitelee is my local, it’s 4 miles on the back roads from home. There is over 200km of gravel track up there. Much of it doesn’t join up but there are numerous ways to put together anything from 15 - 50 miles, and can include top coffee, cakes and more at the Visitor Centre.
The main tracks don’t have any fierce gradients, as turbine blade trucks can’t do steep, but many of the narrower link sections are a wee bit more challenging.
There's lots of this sort of riding here in west Angus - east Perthshire. Gentle xc routes around Kirriemuir, Glamis, west to Meigle. The tricky part is getting the intel to you; as everything I do is from home, I don't like publicising where we live. Pm me if you like and I'll try to sort out a file or two of routes
The Capital Trail from Portobello to Melrose was pretty mild - it was 7 years ago though, so I might have erased some bits from my memory
There's nearly a connection all the way along north shore of Loch Earn - that will allow some lovely routes to be joined up. You can already do a lovely road and gravel ride from Crieff along south bank of river Earn and then pick up the gravel until St Fillans and back. Lots of exploratory bits around The Ross/Comrie to nosy. @13thfloormonk has more knowledge.
Some local ones:
lap of Dunblane, Sherrifmuir and the Glen road. We've some amazing new trails in Dunblane going up on to Sherrifmuir gathering stone, go from Queen Victoria school end. Quick road potter. Then up the shoulder or Big Hunt Hill (a bit of a steep pull), then down past Coalsnaur to drop (steep at the bottom) into Menstrie, then off-road along through Uni and into BofA, then then traffic free Glen road back to the start.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/matt_outandabout/89T00gv52N
Dunblane to Doune on national cycle route / old railway line. Then either short bit of main road to Buchany, up to Braes of Doune Windfarm, then connect via a 50metre walk by the power building, and drop down into Braco via tracks and road back back to Dunblane.
Callander - Archray Farm (amazing goat milk ice-cream) via South shore road and path, then you can loop the forest drive and return same way, or nosey up through Brig O Turk towards Finglas and pick up the Great Forest path all the way back to the Falls of Leny on north side of loch Venechar (is steep in places, but only a few metres at a time), then railway path back to Callander.
I love Black Woods of Rannoch - and back on the road.
Don't dismiss Aberfoyle - for every mile of plantation there's a mile of mixed and some cracking views.
And I forget - the classic Oban - Lismore - Corran loop has a lot of quiet road, but has some gravel and feels an adventure with ferries.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/matt_outandabout/b4Ky631072
Lammermuirs are nice for Edinburgh. Grouse shooting moor so a bit of a wildlife desert but loads of tracks. Ed Shoote has a decent route in his Gravel Rides Scotland book
Thanks very much everyone. Matt's rides in particular look great, and I'll be in touch with Highlandman.
@franksinatra, do you rate the Ed Shoote book for this sort of thing? I'd not buy it for routes for me as I'm happy scaring myself on the gravel bike and snooping out my own routes but if it's got a good number of easy rides it could be worthwhile.
Markus Stitz's book might be better, it's more 'inclusive' than Ed's as it has more short and easy routes.
Ed's is nicer to look at though I think.
Raiders gravel is a three day event in Galloway, link to the three routes below
https://www.golazocycling.com/raiders-gravel-gpx-files
Train to Falkirk and home via Union Canal. 27 miles to Edinburgh I think.
Tarmac rather than gravel of course.
Loch Lyon has a gravel track all the way round. Pretty flat. At least the south side I did was. Walk Highlands report on the loop here.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=56517
Lots of mellow stuff north and south of the Forth. Worth a look on Wanderings and windings for ideas.
You can also link from these routes to gravel tracks around Gartmorn and all the way along the Hillfoots on a track above the road from Menstrie through to Tillicoultry and then other options out to Dollar N and S of the road.
More tarmac than it used to be but all easily accessible
The Clackmannan Bridge has a cycle path for linking across the Forth
That's a great shout actually, even the coastline just between Edinburgh and Queensferry is surprisingly wild and beautiful, some of the beaches are stunning. Carry on to Blackness Castle, Boness, up to Linlithgow, back on canal.
Edit - 65km/40mile? Could shorten by just starting at South Queensferry, the Cramond stuff is nice but not necessary. DON'T try to follow riverside path up from Cramond unless you're prepared to negotiate some steep steps etc.
https://www.strava.com/routes/3094213715470580158
Edit Edit: argh, OP has already ridden this 🙄
riding to Blackness Castle from Edinburgh and that sort of thing.
Train to Tweedbank, follow the Southern Upland way to Lauder, then old railway line to Oxted and then beyond to the A7 and Fala, then on to whichever station on the Borders line suits. Pretty low level and all gravel-able.
Lammermuirs are brill, but she won't fancy the climb up.
Pick a section of the WHW you like the look of.
You could combine it with the lochside path to the East of Loch Lomond
I did it as far as Rowardennan and there was only one small rocky step section where I had to carry (a 50lb ebike)
Lovely ride though
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There's a nice cycle route out to South Queensferry from Edinburgh via the Dalmenny estate, then from the coop supermarket in Queensyferry, use the old railway line to Ratho station, it's then a couple of miles of quiet road to get to Ratho village where you can pick up the union canal and back to Edinburgh.
Depending on where you are in Edinburgh, will be about 25 miles. Nearly all off-road (or very quiet roads) with some nice stop off points.
I have a variation on rudedogs route that is a bit longer adding in the WOL as well and a better connection to the canal that is all offroad and an east lothian route that is 37 miles from my house almost all offroad _ pencaitland railway path to Ormiston - then a branch up to butterdean woods and towards haddington, old railway tolongniddry, back along the coast
If you are interested I can put them on maps for you
Better looking at some of the NCN routes. They're a mixture of road and gravel but can be very enjoyable.
Like the section from Killin to Callander or Route 76 around the Forth.
There is some lovely routes in East Lothian and around Falkirk.
Nothing too technical or remote, just easy off-road riding.
Check out some of these......
I ride a weekly gravel ride from Linlithgow with the Clarion. Nothing difficult but some great riding.
Some different routes....
Loop around Bo'ness and Kinneil.
Loop through Maddiston then back along the canal
Loop through wester shore wood and back via the gravel farm roads past Winchburgh
Loop up and around Beecraigs
Loop around Muiravonside country park
Loop around Callander House in Falkirk
Loop out around Canada woods.
There is some great gravel paths up above the Falkirk Wheel. Also some good paths behind the Kelpies in Falkirk
Devilla forest is good too, you can incorporate it into a gravel loop around Kincardine and Culross.
The Pilgrim way in Fife paths are great, all three sections
Tentsmuir in Fife is good.
Lochore Meadows is good.
Blairadam/Kelty has some great trails.
I'm actually beginning to think that Fife might be the best easy access gravel area in Scotland.
You can do a great loop from Dunbar heading west, picking up the John Muir Way. The cafe at Tyninghame is good and worth a stop. There's some nice pubs/cafes in East Linton too.
This is one of my favourite routes in East Lothian
Check out this route on Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/3094348189498794076 —
I know you're tentative about Aberfoyle but my 10 year old son and I rode the longer Purple waymarked gravel trail last weekend. Took two hours and although had some climbing, nothing was beyond him. We had burgers and cake after at the Station cafe. Very nice it was too. So maybe worth a try?
Dumfries and Galloway.
Eds book has options you can shorten if reqd.
My wife enjoyed the rides there.
But forest riding.
Markus has a ride I was looking at in his book,seems to go down the coast alot , will ride it next month.
Looked varied. Not too far from the rides in Eds book.
this was fun, adapted from the gravel rides scotland route, original ride was around 40 miles but it'd be easy to miss bits out. the wind farm section was a highlight
https://flic.kr/p/2oBGQLc
You mentioned no Tweed Valley rides but there is a good choice of routes at the Bike Valley Trails website. A lazy way of picking a ride and most look to be at the easier end of the spectrum.
Other ideas circuit of Kielder Reservoir.
Cross Borders Ride to Newcastleton and
The Sandstone Way is a good ride as well.
The map has loop sections of the main tour.
Sandstone Way can be started from train to Berwick Upon Tweed.